ERIC Number: EJ1319725
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Jan
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1081-4159
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Deaf Children's ASL Vocabulary and ASL Syntax Knowledge Supports English Knowledge
Hoffmeister, Robert; Henner, Jon; Caldwell-Harris, Catherine; Novogrodsky, Rama
Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, v27 n1 p37-47 Jan 2022
The current study contributes empirical data to our understanding of how knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL) syntax aids reading print English for deaf children who are bilingual and bimodal in ASL and English print. The first analysis, a conceptual replication of Hoffmeister (2000), showed that performance on the American Sign Language Assessment Instrument correlated with the Sanford Achievement Test--Reading Comprehension (SAT-RC) and the Rhode Island Test of Language Structures (RITLS, Engen & Engen, 1983). The second analysis was a quantile regression using ASL assessments to predict English print abilities. Different ASL skills were important for English reading comprehension (SAT-RC) versus understanding English syntax (RITLS); the relationship between ASL skills and English print performance also varied for students at different English print ability levels. Strikingly, knowledge of ASL syntax was robustly correlated with knowledge of English syntax at all ability levels. Our findings provide novel and strong evidence for the impact of ASL on the development of English literacy.
Descriptors: Deafness, American Sign Language, Syntax, Reading Skills, Printed Materials, English, Bilingualism, Predictor Variables, Language Skills, Reading Comprehension, Knowledge Level, Correlation, Literacy, Standardized Tests, Achievement Tests
Oxford University Press. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP, UK. Tel: +44-1865-353907; Fax: +44-1865-353485; e-mail: jnls.cust.serv@oxfordjournals.org; Web site: http://jdsde.oxfordjournals.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Stanford Achievement Tests
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R324A100176
Author Affiliations: N/A